Coaxial cable assemblies are commonly used for transmitting electrical signals over a length of coaxial cable. Coaxial cable typically includes a center conductor and an outer conductor that are electrically isolated from one another by a dielectric. The outer conductor is grounded so that it operates as an electrical shield around the center conductor to prevent a degradation of the signal carried by the central conductor. A coaxial cable assembly includes a pair of coaxial connectors each having an outer conductive shell that is coupled electrically, typically by crimping a ferrule, with one end of the outer conductor of the coaxial cable. The center conductor at each end of the coaxial cable is connected to a central pin or contact of the corresponding one of the coaxial connectors. The central contact is electrically isolated from the outer housing by a dielectric.
Under certain circumstances in which a straight-line or linear connection is impossible, a right angle coaxial connector is used for making an angled connection. Usually, the central conductor of the coaxial cable is connected perpendicularly with the central contact of the right angle coaxial connector within an interior chamber provided proximate to the right-angle bend in the coaxial connector. The connection is established by soldering the center conductor and the center contact together after the coaxial cable is inserted through a cable opening in the connector housing so that the central conductor is positioned in the interior chamber. Access to the interior chamber from the exterior of the connector is afforded through an access opening, which is sealed by a removable closure. With the closure removed, a tip of a soldering iron is inserted through the access opening to create the solder joint. Subsequently, the removable closure is replaced over the access opening to seal the interior chamber against signal leakage and to prevent inward penetration of contaminants from the environment surrounding the right angle coaxial connector.
Conventional right angle coaxial connectors suffer from several deficiencies and shortcomings. For example, conventional right angle coaxial connectors are difficult to assemble due to the soldering operation and the concomitant need to provide an interior chamber accessible through an access opening covered by a removable closure. The assembly process requires precision alignment of the cable conductor with the central pin during the soldering operation and significant proficiency in soldering in the cramped and restricted space defined by the interior chamber. Visual inspection of the soldered joint is, at best, difficult and may be impossible. In addition, the presence of the removable closure increases manufacturing costs of the connector and the effort required to accomplish the solder connection. Moreover, the removable closure may be misplaced or lost when the right angle coaxial connector is assembled with the coaxial cable.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a right angle coaxial connector that simplifies the establishment of a connection between the central conductor of a coaxial cable and the central pin of a coaxial connector.